Squats/must see places in Europe

[RoboIsGod]

My partner and I will be traveling around Europe for 2 months starting in November. We have a rough route planned out that we plan to hitch most of. Major cities that we will be hitting up include London, Amsterdam, Berlin, Prague, Paris, Marseille, Barcelona, and Madrid. We are looking to stay at squats/DIY spots/punk houses/etc. as much as possible, so if anyone can pass along places like those in any of the mentioned cities, I would really appreciate it. Also, if anyone has suggestions as to rad places to check out, let me know!

 

[Komjaunimas]

I see your route goes along main highways... maybe it's just me, but there isn't much to do in Marsellie... too many pakistanis, gutter punks and junkies in my opinion.

http://squat.net
http://radar.squat.net

 

[Sam and Laura]

Marseille ain't that bad? There's a cool juggling/social center who can hook you up with places to stay (I think it was called Extreme Juggling or something)....
It's just crazy the amount of squats in Spain....Try and get off the beaten path a bit and keep your eyes open.

 

[fotorebelion]

hey if you come to Barcelona you can stay at my squat.. if you pm or email me i can hook you up with info in other cities you’ve mentioned as well

 

[PlasticSturgeon]

I realize this is a fairly outdated thread, but regardless....
I highly recommend going to Ljubljana, Slovenia. I went there purely on a whim (I knew nothing about the city, more or less the town itself) and it's a choice I definitely didn't regret. When I first got into the city I was pleasantly surprised to noticed how much street art was everywhere...I decided to wander around a bit and came across this place called Tovarna Rog. It's this super rad social center, made up mainly of artists. It will be a good place to meet people and to ask about squats to stay in.
The main building in the little area is an old abandon bicycle factory (Rog), which is just left open and people are free to wander through and check things out (just about every single inch of every wall is covered in magnificent graffiti murals), but in the evening it's often host to shows and other assorted goings on.
I spent a good chunk of my days just sitting on the roof of Rog and drawing. It's a really neat place.

I know Amsterdam is full of squats. I don't have any personal connections for you however. What I've heard though is that it's a really tight-knit community, especially within recent years because the city has been cracking down on them super hard, but I'm sure you'll be able to find something.

Please post more about your travels. I plan on spending about a month in Berlin next summer or fall and if you make any good squat connections over there I would love to hear about them.

 

[RoboIsGod]

Thanks for all the replies everyone, I leave tomorrow.

I'll make sure to post again and report on how everything went.

 

[kickthatshit]

You might have a better time getting off the main roads & spending time in smaller cities. Bigger cities get overrun with travelers & it can be tough meeting people.

 

[fox eating an ear of corn]

It's probably hell of cold, but I had a great time hitchhiking and in general meeting people throughout Finland and Scandinavia, and in the Baltic states. There are a few really friendly veteran hitchhikers in Vilnius, including someone who hitched from Lithuania all the way to South Africa, and a couple (who I stayed with from Hospitality Club) who hitched all over Iraq right after "the end" of the war in 2003.

 

[RoboIsGod]

We are in Barcelona right now but the squat we were going to stay at fell through. If anyone knows other squats that should have space or has friends that could put us up for a night or two, please let me know!

 

[Mihail Morea]

Barcelona is rough, good luck! If you have camping gear and aren't afraid of wild boar, you can take the metro out and sleep up in the hills, or possibly on Montjuic hill but that's probably sketchier, haven't done it myself.